1 minute read
PreK—12
Curriculum for a Mental Health Unit
South Barrington, Barrington Service Unit
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The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that one in every five people live with a mental health condition. Nadia addressed the lack of awareness and education surrounding mental health by creating a four-lesson unit for each class at her PreK—12 school. Nadia focused her lessons on positive coping skills, mindfulness, emotions, and communication to both teach students that everyone struggles with their mental health at times and to give them the tools to navigate those times. She also placed a focus on sharing and open discussion throughout her lessons so students could practice talking about emotions in a fun and positive environment. These discussions also allowed students to see that it is okay to talk about difficult emotions and they are not the only ones with struggles. With older classes, Nadia also covered self-esteem, mental health stigma, and common mental health conditions to provide them with accurate information and establish school as a safe space.
Vedika Shah, Book Bags for a Better World Prairie Grove, Chippewa Service Unit
Vedika’s project aimed to address a lack of resources for young students to educate themselves and engage in healthy conversations about current topics. Her goal was to provide information that would allow students to be more kind, empathetic, and understanding of people in an increasingly diverse world. Vedika created and curated four book bins that included books on topics like religions around the world, the environment, kindness, gender equality, different types of families, and a curated resource sheet with discussion questions for each book, plus links to additional classroom games, videos, and activities at three different locations. She spent time training the high schoolers who teach in the preschool lab and the elementary teachers who would have access to the book bins. Vedika was interviewed for her high school's newspaper by a fellow student and worked with librarians at the locations to spread the word.
